Best Friend's Ex Box Set

"Yes, he's been in since before sunup," the man replied as he led me to the conference room. "He was working in the shop."

"I see," I nodded as he gestured to the open door. I walked in and found myself standing in front of a large, oak table surrounded by twelve, sturdy chairs. The room was made up of white walls, but resembled more of a farmhouse kitchen than a corporate conference room. Ther

e was a scuffed chalkboard hanging on the far wall that looked like it had been recently cleaned. Underneath it was a long oak sideboard in the same style as the table that held a pitcher of water and some simple drinking glasses. I wasn't sure if I should take a seat or remain standing, so I stood waiting for Miller to make his entrance thinking about how different this room was from the one in my father's office.

My father had all the latest technology installed so that his minions could present their ideas in Technicolor on large video screens using laser pointers and tablets. Everything in his world was shiny and new, and when it no longer suited his purposes, he promptly disposed of it. Bishop Miller's conference room gave me hope that my message might have a chance.

"Mr. Wallace, you wished to see me?" Bishop Miller said as he walked toward me with his hand outstretched. I took it and shook firmly as I nodded. He was tall and broad-shouldered, and his traditional, Amish beard reached the middle of his chest. He wore the somber, black pants, white shirt, and suspenders that I'd seen the men around Corner Grove wearing, but he had removed the wide-brimmed, black hat and the dark jacket that I'd already grown accustomed to seeing. He motioned to a chair, "Please have a seat."

I pulled out a heavy oak chair and sat down as the Bishop slowly walked around the table, never once taking his eyes off me. There was something unnerving about his silence, but I shook it off and prepared myself to pitch the proposal.

"Mr. Wallace, what is it that you want?" Bishop Miller asked once he'd sat down across the table from me.

"I want to give you a chance to invest in a dynamic new technology that will offer you freedom from the generators and wood-burning energy that you've been accustomed to," I began.

"No Mr. Wallace," he interrupted. "Don't try to sell me anything. Just tell me why you came to Corner Grove and what you want from our community."

"I don't understand," I said as I looked down at the turbine specs in front of me and then back up at Miller.

"I don't have a lot of time, nor do I care to pick through the carefully constructed sales pitch you're about to give me," he said as he held my gaze. His bushy eyebrows twitched slightly as he stopped speaking and stared at me. "Tell me what you can do for me and why I should entertain the idea of doing whatever it is you want me to do."

"Look, I know that you don't hook up to the electrical supply because you don't want to be part of the system or dependent on the English," I said, hoping that what I was about to do would be what he wanted. "At Agape Resources, we've got a wind turbine that will ensure that you don't have to be on the grid. It's cost efficient and will supply enough power to your community to keep you independently operating all year round."

"I see," he said. I waited for him to follow up with more questions, and when none came, I continued speaking.

"We can set up the turbines in the fields where you grow crops," I said leaning forward on my elbows as I spoke. "Each set of turbines will generate enough energy to run the ten households closest to them, and it is possible that we could install enough turbines to run the entire city of Corner Grove—businesses included."

"I see," the Bishop replied, but said nothing more.

"The initial cost is steep, but this would be offset by the savings you will reap on the elimination of the need to buy gasoline for generators and wood for furnaces,” I said as I tried to gauge Miller's response. So far, he'd given me nothing to work with. "Turbines can also help pump water and operate machinery that grinds grain, so for your farm endeavors, this would be extremely useful."

Bishop Miller sat staring at me with an impassive expression and did not say a word.

"Mr. Miller, I'm not sure what it is you want me to say, but I am more than happy to answer any questions you have or address any reservations," I offered as I tried to get a read on what he was thinking or what he wanted. This was not my strong suit since my father had always let me know exactly what he was thinking, whether I wanted to know or not.

"Mr. Wallace," the bishop began after a long silence. "Do you know anything about the Amish culture?"

The question caught me off-guard, but since I'd spent time researching their community and thinking about how to best formulate a sales pitch, I felt confident when I answered. "Your community prides itself on being independent and self-reliant. You avoid government interference as much as possible, and you maintain a community based on tradition and religious devotion."

"What history book did you pull that out of?" Miller dryly asked as he folded his hands and rested them on the worn, oak surface.

"I read it online," I said.

"I see," he nodded before looking down at his hands. For me, it was an agonizingly long time before he spoke again. "Mr. Wallace, we are simple people who do our best to uphold the values set forth by God. Part of those values involves maintaining a certain distance from the outside world. That is true. My concern about your project is that it invites the outside world into our fields and farms."

"No, it would give you the freedom from the outsiders," I said wondering if he'd listened to anything I'd said.

"It would not," he replied. "It would open up our community to a wide range of interference as you'd be required to get permits to install such technology and then would bring machines and crews into actually do the installation. And what about when the machinery breaks down, Mr. Wallace?"

"Those are short periods of time for the installation, and the maintenance is minimal," I replied as I felt my frustration building. This man didn't want to see how much his community could be helped by the turbines. "The licenses would be obtained through Agape Resources, and you wouldn't have to have anything to do with those."

"I see. Then what happens if there is a problem with the turbines, Mr. Wallace?" he asked as he raised his eyes up to meet mine. "Whose responsibility is it then?"

"Well, we'd deal with the problems," I said. "We'd be responsible for resolving the issues and dealing with the outsiders."

"So, you're going to move someone down here to be onsite at all times?" he asked.

"Well, no," I admitted. "But you can always call us in Chicago and we'll send someone down immediately."